Monday, 6 January 2014

The
Guardian reported on 30th September 2013 that: "Owen Paterson told a fringe
meeting at the Conservative party conference.... that predictions by scientists
– that there could be major increases in temperature resulting in melting ice
caps and worldwide flooding – should not be seen as entirely negative".

On
the 5th January the same paper reported that: "Sir David King, the government's special envoy onclimate change, has said: Britain needs to face up to a radical change inweatherconditions that could be the result of global warming, and spend
much more on flood defences. Amid the worst floods for decades, King said the
UK must do more to manage the problem, potentially doubling spending to £1bn a
year by 2020, as extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent".

Cllr Mick Lerry, Labour PPC Bridgwater & West Som

Yet
once again with heavy rainfall and adverse tides the Somerset Moors are
flooded. Houses have had to be evacuated. A flood summit was held in Somerset
in 2013 attended by Ian Liddell-Grainger MP, Tessa Munt MP and Jeremy Browne MP
and there were promises from government and the Environment Agency that
remedies would be put in place. Government has refused to fund the necessary
work to avoid flooding and recently the Environment Agency announced that 1500
members of their staff would be made redundant.

Ian
Liddell Grainger MP should be highlighting the failure of the Government to act
in to reduce the risk of flooding for local people, as the last Labour
Government did for the people of Gloucestershire.

Cllr
Mick Lerry

Leader
of the Labour Group on Sedgemoor District Council

Labour
Parliamentary Candidate for Bridgwater and West Somerset Constituency